Out of the Ashes: A New Beginning
by Thedragoness821
Summary: I have been a fan of this show since it first aired but strangely enough, I never got around to writing fiction about it. I was totally unhappy with the way they did Jim's death… So here is my take on how I think that should have gone. Set that evening after Jim's funeral and burial service. There might be a Rick / Melinda pairing later on. Please review! :) Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

_Notes and summary: I have been a fan of this show since it first aired but strangely enough, I never got around to writing fiction about it. I know MANY other people, like myself were totally unhappy with the way they did Jim's death… So here is my take on how I think that should have gone down. Set that evening after Jim's funeral and burial service. There might be a Rick / Melinda pairing later on, but for now, their relationship (at least on her end) is strictly platonic._

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

* * *

"Now you _call_ us if you need _anything_ … I don't care what time it is." Delia said as she gave Melinda a hug she didn't return. She pulled back and looked at her friend, there was no light in her eyes at all, just emptiness, numbness. She knew it all too well because that was how she felt when Charlie had died, but she had had Ned to help pull her out of her grief, Melinda had no one … and she was worried for her.

Melinda didn't even say goodbye to them as they left, she was too consumed with grief to even acknowledge what was going on around her.

After they left, a sad smile crossed her face.

"I know you're here, Jim, I can feel you." She said to the seemingly empty room.

Jim appeared at her side.

"Mel." He said, his voice hoarse with emotion as tears streamed down his face, for her, not him as he reached for her and gathered her in his arms.

"Jim … you … you can't stay here, you have to cross over into the light." She said as she choked back sobs.

"I can't go, I can't leave you here alone." He said as he pulled back to look into her eyes.

"You have to, it's the way things are supposed to be, you have people waiting for you … over there, you brother, your parents. In the light, you'll be at peace." She said.

"But … what about you? I can't leave unless I know you'll be okay." He replied.

"I will be okay … well … maybe not _okay_ okay … but I _will_ heal … but I can't do that if you are here and around all the time." She said.

A look of hurt crossed Jim's face and he averted his gaze.

"You …. You don't want me around?" He asked, as though he were afraid of what the answer might be.

"Jim … I think you know the answer to that, but it wouldn't be fair of me to ask you to stay around in purgatory, waiting for me." She said with a sad smile.

"I would … all you have to do is ask." He said quickly.

"I know … but it's not fair to you, while you're here in limbo, you'll still feel all the pain of your death, both physical and mental, in the light, you'll be whole and at peace. Wouldn't you rather wait for me there?"

Suddenly, something bright caught his eye, he turned around and saw it, the light he had been hearing about for so long, there they were, his parents, grandparents, his brother, all waiting for him, waving at him with huge smiles on their faces.

"You see it, don't you?" Melinda asked him.

"Yeah … my whole family is there, waiting for me; but I can't go yet, there's something I have to do first." He said as he disappeared.

* * *

"Awww come on, you piece of junk! Geez I pay out the wazoo for satellite internet and half the time it doesn't even work!" Rick Payne said as he thumped his laptop screen, which was displaying a _'connection cannot be established'_ message for what seemed like the thousandth time that night.

Then, it suddenly felt like the temperature in the makeshift office had dropped twenty degrees, Rick's breath hung silvery in the air in front of him. Sure it was cold outside, but it wasn't _that_ cold.

"Who's here? If you're looking for help, you have the _wrong_ person." He said in an attempt at dry humor as he turned around in a circle, he didn't want to admit it, but he was starting to get nervous.

"Oh no, I've got the right person all right." Jim chuckled to himself as he walked right through Rick on his way to the computer.

Rick let out a surprised shout and jumped back, it felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water over his head.

"I HATE it when you ghosts do that! I always feel so … so … _violated_!" He said indignantly as he shivered.

"Yeah? Wait until _you're_ the one doing the walking through people." Jim replied as he summoned all of his strength and began typing on the keyboard.

Rick watched, transfixed as his laptop opened word seemingly by itself and words started to appear on the blank document.

' _Rick, go back to Grandview … Melinda in trouble_

 _-Jim'_

Jim suddenly felt like he was going to faint, he sank down in Rick's desk chair and he hoped like hell that Rick was smart enough to put two and two together, because he didn't have much strength left to do anything else.

A look of horrified realization crossed the professor's face.

"Oh, god! Jim? Is that you?" He said to the empty room; Jim didn't have the strength for anything else, so he did the only thing he could, he walked through Rick's body again.

"AH! Oh … god! Okay! I'll take that as a yes! Damn … what the hell _happened_? Yeah … you can't answer that because you're a ghost. Okay … Melinda … and you want me to go … why?" Rick asked, Jim gave him a withering look and summoned what was left of his strength.

' _I think you know why.'_ He typed on the computer.

"I can't believe this … I am having a computer conversation with my friend's dead husband." Rick said as he ran his hand through his hair.

"And what happens if I say no? You know I have tons if stuff to do here, there are artifacts to organize and catalog …" Jim suddenly plunged his hand through Rick's chest.

' _go … or I'll haunt you til' you do.'_ He typed.

"Okay, okay! You make a very … compelling argument. Just … stop with the walking through me thing." Rick said as he rubbed his chest.

"Good." Jim said to himself, knowing Rick couldn't hear him.

"Just … let me get some things finalized here first, then I'll be on the first flight I can catch back to Grandview." He said.

"It's a deal." Jim replied with a grin.

* * *

It had been almost a week since the funeral.

"Jim, I wish you would let me cross you over." Melinda said as they sat together on the couch, arms around each other just as they had done in life.

"I told you, I can't go, not until I know you are going to be okay." he said as he tightened his embrace around her shoulders.

"Say, where _did_ you go for those few days, anyway?" She said.

"I had to take care of some business." He replied ambiguously.

"What kind of business?" She asked as her eyebrow rose suspiciously.

Jim smiled. "You'll see." He said as her doorbell rang.

Melinda gave Jim a peculiar look and went to answer it, she opened the door and her mouth fell open in shock.

"Well … that wasn't quite the welcome I was hoping for … but, hey! I can work with it." Rick said as he grinned sheepishly at her.

"Rick … what … what are you doing here?!" She asked.

He grinned at her. "Ask your husband." He said as he gestured to the room.

Melinda turned to Jim.

"You went and got him? For me?"

"And he was very persuasive, just so you know." Rick interjected.

"Yeah … I know you guys had something special, I knew you would never … you know … I trusted you ... but I still never liked it." Jim said with a sheepish grin.

Tears spilled down Melinda's cheeks, she suddenly dashed at Rick and threw her arms around his neck.

Rick hesitated for a moment before tentatively returning the embrace, but as soon as he hugged her, all those old feelings, the ones he had long since buried, the ones he had run half way across the world to get away from started to surface once more.

"Okay…!" Rick said awkwardly as he released her, knowing that Jim was still somewhere in the room … he couldn't see him, but he could feel his presence. The man had a presence about him, even in death.

Sure enough, Melinda looked across the room and smiled that smile she only did when she and Jim's eyes would meet, Rick found himself wishing she would smile that way at him, but he brushed the thought away. He knew that was a dream that would never come true, because Jim had been Melinda's one true love in life.

Jim walked up to her and they embraced.

"Now, I know you'll be okay." he said, suddenly, he heard a voice call his name and he turned around. There they were again, his whole family in the light, waiting for him with huge smiles on their faces.

"You see it, don't you?" Melinda said, struggling to hold back her tears.

"Yeah, grandma and grandpa, dad, and my brother … they're all here."

He turned to Melinda and took her face in his hands.

"I guess this is goodbye." He said.

"For now, that is." She replied as she smiled tearfully at him.

"I'll wait for you … and when it's time … you know … I'll be the one that … that comes and gets you." He said, finally unable to hold back the tears any longer and he wept freely.

"I know you will." She said as she cried with him.

Jim gave her one last kiss, letting it linger for as long as he could, he could feel the pull of the light, he released her and started walking toward it. The closer he got, the more at peace he felt, Melinda had been right, this was where he belonged and the physical and emotional pain from his death started to fade.

Just then he felt something nudge his hand, he looked down to see Homer, the dog walking beside him. He seemed to sense that Jim needed a little extra comfort.

"Homer's there with him." Melinda said through her tears.

"What … the dog?" Rick asked, she nodded.

He reached the edge of the light and found that it was actually a large gateway; what lie on the other side was hidden behind bright light. The three kids and their families were also there to greet Homer, who bounded to them, and they all walked into the light together.

His grandfather reached out his hand to him. "Come on, son." He said with a benign smile.

There was an older woman standing there as well, she gave him a warm smile as their eyes met.

"So nice to finally meet you, Jim. I've been hearing so much about you from your family, tell Melinda I said hi, and that she'll be okay; she still has work to do on the other side."

Jim looked back at Melinda with a huge grin on his face.

"Your grandmother's here, she says hi, that you'll be okay; and you still have work to do." He told her as he blew her one final kiss and took hold of his grandfather's hand.

Tears streamed freely down Melinda's face as she watched him disappear.

"Is he …? Did he ..?" Rick asked, Melinda nodded and she collapsed against him, sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Melinda, for what it's worth." He said … not knowing what else to say.

"Stay with me?" Melinda said abruptly, pulling back to look at him, her huge brown eyes, full of tears, were pleading.

Rick hesitated.

"I don't think that's really a good idea …"

"Please? I just I … can't be alone … not tonight." She cut him off.

"Let me call Delia …"

"No! I want someone who … understands, someone who isn't rationalizing everything." She interjected again.

"Well I … uh …" Rick trailed off as he pulled at his collar.

Melinda seem to read his mind and gave him an endearingly withering look.

"You can sleep on the couch." She said dryly, a smile playing about her mouth.

"Oh! Yes! The couch! Yeah … that's totally what I was thinking." He said as he felt heat rise to his face.

"Good … see you in the morning." She said smiling in spite of herself as she retreated upstairs.

* * *

 _Notes: so there you have it, the first chapter, sorry it was a bit short … but that seemed like the best place to end it. Like I said, any Rick/Melinda romance is going to be VERY eventual, she just lost her husband after all, and of course, that takes a while to get over._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _Notes: I know, I haven't written much about her helping spirits, we will get to that, but to help them, Melinda first has to heal._

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing! Any resemblance to existing stories or characters is unintended.**

* * *

Melinda's eyes opened and the familiar ceiling of her bedroom came into focus, she rolled over, her hand going instinctively to Jim's side of the bed, but all she felt were empty, cold sheets. Then, the memory of what happened came crashing down on her like a load of bricks and the pain made her feel like she had been stabbed through her soul by an icicle.

' _What's done is done, there's no use crying about it.'_ she said; but that didn't stop the tears from coming and she wept uncontrollably until she was a blubbering mess.

Rick had woken up early, just like he always did, and made coffee, which had somehow had spiraled into making breakfast for the two of them; he was almost done setting the table when Melinda finally came down the stairs.

"Hey … what are you doing?" She asked, her face harboring a small smile.

"Coffee?" He asked as he offered her a cup.

"Please." She said as she wrapped her hands around the mug and took a deep sip and allowed herself to get lost in the aroma.

Rick took this opportunity to study her; her complexion was pale and pasty, gone was the warm, sun kissed glow he had so fondly remembered, and her eyes had dark circles under them.

"Well, then! How about some breakfast, eh?" He said as he pulled out her chair for her.

"Thanks, but I'm not very hungry." Melinda said flatly.

"Melinda, come on, you have to eat, Jim wouldn't want you to …" He started to say without thinking, Melinda stood up from the table so fast, she almost upset her chair.

"And how would _you_ know what Jim would want me to do?" She spat venomously at him as she turned and stormed away from the table, tears pricking her eyes.

She stopped midway across the room and blew out a breath in an effort to calm herself and turned around to face him.

"I … I … I'm sorry, Rick, I didn't mean that." She said, and an awkward silence fell between them.

"Let's just eat." He said, gesturing to the table after a minute of uncomfortable silence with neither of them knowing what to say.

* * *

"Hey …! What are you doing here?" Delia said as Melinda walked into the store.

"I just … I think the best thing for me is to keep busy, and I just … couldn't be in that house, surrounded by all of his things with nothing to do." Melinda replied.

"Okay, fair enough. It is nice to have you back, we have been swamped lately with tourist season and everything." Delia replied, Melinda suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

"What was that for?" Delia said, surprised.

"A thanks … for being my friend, and being there for me through all of this, I know I probably didn't make it easy for you." Melinda said as she released her.

"Are you kidding? You lost someone very special to you, I know how that is, remember?" Delia replied as several customers came in, chattering excitedly amongst themselves.

"Hi, welcome to Same as he Never Was Antiques." Melinda said as over their excited chatter.

"Wow, this place is _great!_ It's everything Dave and Sarah said it was!" One of the female customers said.

"Our friends, we're all into antiquing, and they took a road trip through Grandview last year and they told us about this place, so naturally, we had to come and check it out ourselves!" She added, noticing Melinda's blank expression.

"Well … that's great! Feel free to look around all you like and please don't hesitate to ask if you need any help." Melinda said to the excited group of people.

"Oh my gosh, we're _famous_!" Delia whispered excitedly.

Melinda laughed in spite of herself. "Well … I don't know if I'd go that far." She replied as the group of people lined up at the register with multiple items.

* * *

"At this rate, we're going to have to start traveling the countryside looking for antiques to sell, like those guys on American Pickers." Delia said with a laugh as she counted the money from the register that day.

"I'm going to run down stairs and put this in the safe." Delia said as she put their day's earnings in a secure bag, while Melinda busied herself closing down the store for the day.

"So ... I hear you had some company last night." Delia said with a raised eyebrow.

Melinda raised an eyebrow in return at her friend. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" She replied.

Delia merely looked at her expectantly in reply.

"Yeah … okay, so Payne stayed over last night, so what? … and he slept on the couch in the living room, so don't give me that look." She said as Delia gave her a scolding look and opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, you know I told you that Jim's been around, well apparently he went to Payne and … brought him back here." Melinda said with a shrug.

"So he did." Delia said as she nodded in understanding.

"Though I don't know why exactly." Melinda replied.

"Really?! You really don't know." Delia said exasperatedly, wording it more as a statement than a question.

"Professor Payne like … totally has a thing for you! Why do you think he left in the first place?" Delia said when Melinda didn't offer an answer.

"Because 'It's a once and a lifetime opportunity'." Melinda said, quoting what Rick had told her when he came to say goodbye on the way to the airport.

"That might have been what he _told_ you, but that wasn't the _real_ reason that he left. Imagine how it must've been for him, to have feelings for someone who was _very_ happily married, to know he'll never have a chance with them? I am sure that was awful for him." Delia said.

"Yeah … I guess Jim noticed too, because he said we always had something special." Melinda replied tearfully.

"Look … I know you're not ready right now, and you shouldn't until you are, but at some point, you're going to have to move on with your life. I know, I've been there, remember?" Delia said as she gave her a hug.

Melinda blew out a sigh, she knew Delia was right, she wasn't ready … and she didn't know when she would be, and regardless of whether it was fair or not, anyone else stepping up to the plate had some big shoes to fill.

* * *

"Rick Payne!" Rick stifled a weary sigh as he heard his name being called by a familiar female voice, he had just exited his office, anxious to get the hell out of Dodge after a long day of lecturing.

Professor Ramona Hockmeier taught modern and classical languages on the floor above his office … she had been the _other_ half of the reason he had gone on sabbatical.

' _So much for getting out of here at a reasonable hour.'_ Rick thought bitterly to himself.

"Yes, yes … I am back, Elvis has returned to the building." He said in false dramatism as he gestured grandiosely.

Ramona laughed exaggeratedly and tossed her hair flirtatiously as Rick pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to retain his patience.

"Look, Ramona, I'd love to chat, but I've had a really long day and I still have to coordinate my course material for the week … you know how that goes." He abruptly cut her off as he turned his back to her and locked his office.

"You're wasting your time, you know." Ramona said abruptly.

Rick stopped, his keys still in the door and turned around to face her.

"Excuse me?" He replied, a hint of offense in his voice.

"Oh don't pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about, Rick … Melinda Gordon … you've been crazy about her ever since before you left … and it looks like you still are." She said, her voice taking on a haughty, condescending tone.

"And what if I am? Last time I checked, that wasn't yours, or anyone else's business." Rick replied coldly as he pulled his keys out of the door and stuffed them angrily into his pocket.

"She'll never love you, you know … even with Jim out of the picture." Ramona continued in the same haughty tone.

"How can you possibly know that? You don't even _know_ Melinda that well!" Rick countered venomously.

"I know her well enough to know that her and Jim's relationship was the kind that would make the likes of Jane Austen giddy, and Jim was a man that … well … let's face it, any woman would _kill_ to have." Ramona replied.

"And _why_ are you telling me this?" Rick shot back, his patience about gone.

"Because, a man like you, who _is_ quite a catch in his own right shouldn't be wasting his time on a woman who will never love him. You know what they say; it's only love if you're loved in return." She said.

"Goodnight, Ramona." Rick said as he pushed past her toward the elevators, before he said something he'd regret.

"Sooner or later, you're going to have to face reality, Rick!" Ramona called angrily after him as he disappeared around the corner.

* * *

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Delia said as they locked up the store for the night.

"Yeah, I mean … no … but I have to start somewhere, right?" Melinda replied, offering a smile as they walked to their vehicles.

"Okay, just promise to call me, okay?" Delia said as they shared a hug.

"Yes, mom." Melinda said humorously as she gave her friend a good natured eye roll.

"I mean it, Melinda, no matter what time it is … okay?" Delia said as she gripped Melinda's shoulders and forced her to meet her gaze.

"Okay, okay!" Melinda said with a laugh. "I feel blessed to have so many people that care about me." she added

"Yeah, they even dropped everything and flew half way across the world on a red eye." Delia said.

"Okay, okay! You've made your point!" Melinda said, laughing as she got into her vehicle and headed home.

* * *

"How's she doing?" Ned asked Delia when she got home.

"As well as can be expected, I guess." Delia replied with a sigh.

"I heard Jim crossed over." He continued.

"Apparently, yes." Delia replied.

"Are you still skeptical about it, mom? Even after all you've seen and experienced?" He said.

She shrugged. "Old habits die hard, I guess."

"I also heard that Professor Payne is back, the word around the university is that he flew in here on a red eye when he heard the news." Ned said with a knowing smile.

"Yes, why?" Delia replied slowly as she eyed her son.

"Well … I'm no expert, but usually a guy only does that when he's like … totally nuts for a girl." Ned said.

"Well … he also had his friend's dead husband threatening to haunt him for all eternity if he didn't." Delia pointed out.

"See? Even Jim knew, because it was like … so totally obvious!" Ned replied.

Delia paused and took studied her son with a sad smile.

"When did you get so grown up?" She said as she hugged him.

"Do you think Melinda will be alright?" Ned asked.

Delia sighed. "Only time will tell that, Ned."

* * *

Melinda went through the motions of getting ready for bed, she just felt so … numb … like a piece of her soul had died alongside Jim that horrible night. She crawled into bed and let her head fall back against the pillow and what was worse, is as long as she was in this state, she couldn't help the spirits that needed her.

"I'm sorry." She said, tears welling up in her eyes, she knew that they could still hear her, even if they couldn't get to her. Knowing she was shutting them out when there were so many that were hurting and needed her help made her feel even more terrible.

"I know so many of you need my help, but I'm just … not ready yet and I don't know when I will be … I'm sorry." She said as she hugged one of Jim's pillows and cried into it.

* * *

Rick sat at his desk, trying to sort out his course curriculum for the week, but his mind and his heart just weren't in it.

"Damn it!" He said as he slammed his fist down on his desk; _this_ is why he didn't want to come back, everything had been _fine_ out there in the middle of nowhere, he was making progress, both professionally and personally, then Jim had to go and die and ruin everything.

"Yeah, Jim … what the hell?!" he said, as he began to pace angrily around his house. "Oh yeah …that's right … you can't hear me because you've crossed over! You're happy! Well good for you! Meanwhile I am stuck here …" He trailed off as emotion threatened to overcome him; he swallowed hard against the lump that had formed in his throat.

"Why did you drag me back here, Jim? I had moved on, I had made peace and put everything behind me." He said, hor voice cracked with emotion as he sank into the couch and ran his hands through his hair.

"You wasted both yours and my time, Jim. She's never going to love anybody else … and _certainly_ not me." He said despairingly, he knew he was wallowing, but he couldn't help it.

He laughed humorlessly as he realized what he had been doing.

"Look at me, baring my soul to my friend's dead husband who can't even hear me anymore." He said as he stood.

"Well, I know what I promised, but I can't I just … I can't do this … I'm sorry." He said as he stormed to his closet, dug his suitcase out, threw it on the bed and started throwing clothes into it.

Unbeknownst to him, the ghosts of two women had been watching his entire exchange.

"Damn it! We have to do something!" one of them said.

"No good, he'll never listen to us." The other replied.

"No, but I know someone who will." The first one said with a mischievous smile as they disappeared.

* * *

 _Notes: I see this story has some faves and follows now, thank you so much!_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _Notes: Thank you for the faves, follows, and / or reviews, they are like a warm hug ^_^_

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing! Any resemblance to existing stories is unintended.**

* * *

"HEY!"

Eli James bolted out of his bed with a shout.

"Damn it! I wish you ghosts wouldn't _do_ that!" He said as he clutched his chest.

"I love how they react, it never gets old!" One of the ghosts said with a giggle.

Her companion shot her a scolding look, but chose to ignore her. "Sorry to startle you, but we have a problem. The man … the ghost whisperer's friend … he's leaving." She said.

"Who… Rick? So?" Eli replied irritably as he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to shake off the fog of sleep he was still in.

" _Sooo_ … we need _you_ to stop him." She replied.

"I'm sorry , I must still be half asleep… can you repeat that?" Eli said as he rubbed his ear.

"We need you to stop him, as long as she stays in a state of extreme grief, she is shut off to the spirits that need her help." the ghost replied.

"And you two think that Payne is the key to her happiness?" Eli said with a mocking, amused laugh.

"I don't know, but when she's with him, the wall built by her grief weakens ever so slightly." She explained.

Eli blew out a long, suffering sigh.

"Okay … okay. I'll see what I can do." he said.

* * *

"Eli … ?! What are you …" Delia exclaimed as Eli walked rudely into her house, not waiting for an invite.

"Sure, come on in." Delia said, annoyed as she shut the door behind him.

"I'm sorry I just … I have something really important to tell you … but it's going to be hard to believe." He said.

"I am Melinda's friend, remember? My definition of 'hard to believe' has become a hell of a lot more lax over the last year … so try me." she said as she crossed her arms in front of her expectantly.

"Well … a ghost came and woke me up to tell me that apparently, Professor Payne is planning to leave town, and if he does that Melinda will never be able to let go of the grief she has after losing Jim." Eli explained.

"Hey … you told me to try you." Eli said when he noticed Delia's disbelieving expression.

"Come on, if we hurry we can still catch him." Eli said as he tossed Delia her coat.

"But … why ….?" Delia said, not following.

"Because, I know how this works, these ghosts are never going to leave me alone unless I do what they say, now come on!" He said as he pulled her out the door.

* * *

Rick was walking out to his taxi to the airport when Delia's car screeched to a halt in front of his house.

"Rick, wait!" Eli said as skidded to a stop in front of him and blocked his entrance into the cab.

"Hey, buddy, get a move on! Time is money, you know!" the cabby said.

"He's changed his mind, here's a twenty for your troubles." Eli said as he thrust the money at the cabby, who shrugged as he pulled away.

"What the hell, Eli!" Rick said feriously as he shoved Eli back with so much force that he almost lost his footing.

"Rick … please listen … we had a very good reason for doing this." Delia offered gently, as she held her hands out in front of her defensively, treading lightly, she had never seen Rick so unstable.

"It never fails … _every_ time I try to leave this infernal place, it pulls me back in! It's … It's … like a preverbal black hole!" Rick shouted in declaration as he shook his fists at no one in particular.

"Listen, we're sorry, but we had a good reason for stopping you." Delia said.

"Ah … well … come on then, lay it on me! I guess the universe didn't think I was suffering enough!" He said dramatically as he grabbed his suitcase and turned back towards his house.

Delia suddenly smacked the Professor hard in the back of the head.

"Now, I've heard about enough of your whiny, selfish behavior, mister! I know you don't want to hear this, but this isn't about you! This is about a friend of ours who has lost someone very special to her!" She said as she shook her finger at Rick.

Rick blew out a sigh and chuckled embarrassingly as he realized just what a gigantic, selfish, jackass he'd been.

"You're right … you're totally right, I've been a real jerk, haven't I?" He said as he sunk down on his front steps.

"A little bit of an understatement, but yes, you have" Delia said matter of factly.

"Kate and I used to fight about my selfishness all the time … and she was right … maybe if I had realized that sooner, we might have had a better marriage." He said as he chuckled humorlessly, Delia sat down on the steps beside him.

"Hey, no need to divulge into feeling sorry for yourself, you can't change the past, but you _can_ change your present and future behavior. Put your own feelings aside just this one time." Delia said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright … Eli, tell whoever might be here that they can leave you alone, because I'm not going anywhere. Now, if you all don't mind, I've had quite an … exciting night and would like to get _some_ sleep before I have to teach class tomorrow morning." He said as he stood and retreated into his house without another word to them.

* * *

Melinda blew out a long, bored sigh. Delia had the day off and on top of being alone, business was slow. She checked her watch, it was only eleven in the morning. She suddenly found herself picking up her phone and before she knew what she was doing, she was dialing Rick's number.

"Oh my god, what's come over me?!" she said as the phone rang, but before she had a chance to hang up, he answered.

"Melinda … hi!" he said, he seemed pleasantly surprised to hear from her.

"Uh ... I was wondering if you wanted to … I dunno … do lunch?" She asked, grimacing at her awkwardness.

"I'd love to, actually." He said, there was something more in the tone of his voice, he sounded … different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Great! Would twelve work? We can meet at that little café half way between the University and the shop." Melinda offered.

"Yeah, that should work, just get us a table if I'm not there yet." He replied.

"Okay … I will." She said, wondering at the feeling of joy churning inside her as he cut their connection.

Rick stared affectionately at his phone as his mind started to wonder, his heart skipped a beat excitedly, anticipating their lunch date … wait … could he even call it a date? He surely wanted to.

He was suddenly roused from his daydream by his eleven o'clock class, who were beginning to filter in, he cleared his throat nervously as he attempted to refocus his mind back to teaching.

* * *

Melinda arrived at the café and sure enough, Rick wasn't there.

' _his class must've ran late.'_ Melinda thought to herself as the hostess showed her to a table.

"Anything to drink?" The hostess asked.

"Just water, please." She said, the hostess nodded and set down a menu before flitting back to her post at the front of the restaurant.

The minutes ticked by and Melinda nervously glanced at her watch, what if he forgot, or worse, what if he just … blew her off?

"Melinda!" she heard his breathless voice call her name, why did her heart suddenly summersault? She looked up as he jogged towards her table.

"I'm sorry … lecture ran long, you know how I am when I get going." He said with a chuckle as he sat down in the seat across from her.

She smiled at him as their gazes met and they seemed to get lost in each other's eyes.

"Excuse me … but are you two ready to order?" The waitress' voice intruded on their moment.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah! Our order! Uh … why don't you go first?" Rick indicated to Melinda, who gave him a playfully scolding look as she glanced over the menu.

"I guess I'll have the turkey panini." She said as she looked to Rick with a raised eyebrow.

"Cheeseburger, please." Rick said as they handed their menus back to the waitress.

"For a minute there, I thought you weren't coming." Melinda said, in an attempt at humor, Rick snorted.

"Are you kidding?! A guy would have to be clinically insane to stand _you_ up." He said pointedly, his eyes not wavering from hers.

Melinda felt a warm, comforting feeling rise within her as she blushed.

"Thank you, that's very nice of you to say." She replied.

"Well … it's true." He said as their food came.

The remainder of their lunch was a pleasant one; they laughed, told jokes and stories, and reminisced about old times.

"Damn, look at the time! I have a class in ten minutes!" Rick said as they stood.

"Thank you for the lovely lunch, it was just what I needed to lift my spirits." Melinda said.

"Hey! Maybe we could make it a daily thing, this could be our spot!" Rick replied, Melinda abruptly threw her arms around his neck, surprising him.

Rick wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in closer; she was wearing that perfume, the same one she wore the first time she had come to see him … the one that had always driven him nuts.

As she pulled back, she pressed her lips to his cheek in an intimate kiss.

"See you soon." She whispered into his ear, she pulled back and waved a final goodbye to him as she trotted to her jeep without a second look back. As she drove off, Rick let out the breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

* * *

Melinda suddenly awoke with a start and sat bolt upright in bed, a chill washed over her and her breath hung silvery in the air in front of her, she knew she wasn't alone.

"Hello? I know you're there somewhere, I can feel you, tell me how I can help you!" she said to the darkness. A shadowy presence rushed up to her so fast that it took her breath away.

"I've been trying to reach you." A hoarse female voice said as the shadow materialized into a woman who looked to be in her forties with shoulder length brown hair that was covered in leaf litter and her face had the bluish-grey tint of death.

"Yeah … I know I've been kind of out of it lately, and I am sorry for that." Melinda said, wondering to herself just what had changed to make her receptive to ghosts once more. She still felt the pain and grief of Jim's death but it didn't seem as strong as it was before.

"I know you have … it's weird … all those questions I had when I was alive about the afterlife I just … know the answer to now." The woman said.

"What is it you need help with?" Melinda interjected as she rubbed her forehead wearily.

"I need you to find my killer … before he kills again." The ghost said cryptically.

"Your killer … wait … someone murdered you?" Melinda replied.

"I have to go now." The woman said as she disappeared.

* * *

"And that's it? she just … _poof_?" Rick said that next morning in his office.

"Well … yeah … something like that." Melinda said with a laugh as they heard a knock on Rick's door.

Melinda swore she heard Rick groan audibly when a woman about Melinda's age entered; she was tall and slender with the body that would make any super model jealous, and legs that seemed to go on forever. Her long blonde hair was done up in a neat bun, she wore a simple white blouse that was tucked into a black knee length pencil skirt, she could have been a dead ringer for a young Sharon Stone.

"Ready to go, Rick?" She asked flirtatiously.

Melinda pinned Rick with a pensive look. "Go?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Why, yes, Rick and I have a … _pressing engagement_." The woman answered for him.

"Melinda Gordon, meet Professor Ramona Hockmeier … she teaches modern and classical languages … and I would hardly call a staff meeting a _'pressing engagement'_." He said, an edge of venom in his voice as he glared daggers at Ramona.

"Well … I wouldn't want you two to be late on my account." Melinda said, her pleasant tone not quite reaching her facial expression as she brushed past Ramona.

"Well … this meeting shouldn't take more than say, a couple of hours, you can stop back by then and we'll talk about … you know." Rick said, not sure what to call the topic of ghosts without giving away Melinda's secret.

"I can't … I'll be working at the store until six. But why don't you stop by my house about eight and we'll pick up where we left off, and who knows, I might have found out more information by then." She said with a sweet smile and a wave as she exited his office.

"See you then." Rick said to himself, wearing a huge stupid grin, he knew he was acting like a lovesick puppy and he hated himself for it … but he couldn't help it.

He only snapped out of it when Ramona cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh … yeah … staff meeting!" He said as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and shrugged into it. Ramona sighed annoyingly as she followed him out.

* * *

Melinda was halfway into her second glass of wine when she heard a knock on her door.

"Sooo … I spent the evening rifling through the periodicals in the library and I came up with this." Rick said as he walked in without waiting to be invited and handed her a copy of an old newspaper article.

"Sure, come on in." Melinda said as she shook her head endearingly at him, she knew full well that when Rick was trolling for knowledge, he had a one track mind.

' _Woman Found Buried in Woods._

 _Alissa McDermott, 43 was discovered by hunters over the weekend, authorities suspect foul play'_ Melinda read.

"Police had their share of suspects, in particular, a man by the name of Moriss Gesner, but they couldn't make anything stick. _"_ Rick said.

Suddenly, the lights began to flicker as the woman appeared, standing behind the couch.

"Alissa McDermott, that's your name, right?" Melinda said, startled and intrigued, Rick followed her gaze and looked around, as if expecting to see the ghost himself.

"Wait … she's here? Now?" He asked, Melinda ignored him and pinned her gaze on the ghost.

"Yes, that's me." Alissa replied as she began to fade in and out, Melinda shook her head as she began to feel woozy.

"Moriss Gesner, is that who murdered you?" Melinda said as she struggled to focus her blurring vision.

"No! Moriss was a good man … tried to save me … you have to stop him … the man who killed me ... before he kills again!" Alissa said as she faded away.

"Melinda!" Rick cried, catching her as she fainted.

* * *

 _Notes: sorry all, I had to end it here or else it was going to be way way too long, remember, faves and reviews are like a warm hug ^_^_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN nothing! Any resemblance to existing stories is unintended.**

* * *

Melinda suddenly found herself walking through a forest; it was a dark, moonless night and she shivered against the cold air. She heard a noise somewhere in front of her, paralyzing dread gripped her, but she was compelled to follow the sound nonetheless.

She came upon a figure of a man, his face hidden by a hooded sweatshirt dragging something wrapped in a blue tarp, it was a body, she couldn't see for sure, but somehow, she knew. She watched he unceremoniously tossed the body into a shallow grave and began to cover it with dirt.

Melinda jumped in fright as Alissa suddenly appeared beside her.

"This …. This is where he buried you." Melinda said, trying to catch her breath.

"Yes, I first met him at a bar … I know … stupid, right? I wish I had known that back then." Alissa said tearfully.

"You said Moriss Gesner tried to save you, what did you mean?" Melinda asked.

"We lived in the same apartment building, he was my neighbor across the hall. He had lived there for … a long time, long before I moved in. He was so nice, my parents lived in California, and he became kind of like a second father to me. He tried many, many times to warn me about him, but I didn't listen … Oh … if only I had ... I might still be alive." Alissa said as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"You said that he has to be stopped, what did you mean?" Melinda asked.

"He's got someone new, I've seen him … we have to stop him before he does the same thing to her." Alissa said.

"Can you show me?" Melinda asked.

Alissa nodded and the scene of the woods dissolved into the front of a very nice house on the outskirts of Grandview, Melinda and Alissa watched as a man exited his car, walked up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. Melinda gasped when she saw who came out of the house.

"Oh my god, it's Professor Hockmeier!" She exclaimed, they watched as the couple walked arm in arm down the steps toward his car.

"How long has he been dating her?" Melinda asked, her heart pounding so hard she could barely speak, Alissa shrugged.

"Wait … when were you called back to the world of the living?" Melinda asked.

"When I first came to see you." Alissa replied.

"That was two days ago, how long was he dating you before he killed you?" Melinda asked.

"I don't remember exactly, everything about my life is still so … foggy, I guess … about three weeks?" Alissa replied.

Melinda's expression hardened. "Then we have three weeks to find out who this guy is."

* * *

Melinda suddenly sat bolt upright on the couch.

"It's Professor Hockmeier! His next target is Professor Hockmeier!" She said breathlessly as she gripped the front of Rick's shirt desperately.

"Melinda … hey! Are you sure?" Rick said as he took her hands in his in an effort to calm her down.

"Yeah … I'm sure, Alissa told me." Melinda said.

"Wha … the girl from the obituary?" Rick asked as he tried to wrap his head around everything that was happening.

Melinda nodded. "She showed me a vision of the night she died, she said that the evidence we need to convict this guy, and clear Morris Gesner of any wrong doing is buried with her in the woods."

"And you know where it is?" Rick asked, his tone implying that he already knew the answer.

"I can show you." She replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's go!" he exclaimed.

* * *

Melinda carefully picked her way through the woods, her coat pulled tightly around her in defense against the chill of the early fall air.

"Are you _sure_ we're going in the right direction? Because it feels like we're going in circles … that tree looks oddly familiar." Rick said as he stumbled along behind her. Melinda stopped so abruptly that he almost ran smack into her.

"Alissa! Are you here? We need help, we need you to show us exactly where your body is buried!" Melinda called out to the dark, quiet forest.

Alissa suddenly appeared in front of Melinda, and silently beckoned her to follow.

She led them to a small clearing surrounded by a grove of thick, thorny underbrush.

"I can see why no one ever found it!" Rick exclaimed as they fought their way through.

"The evidence is buried with me ... you'll ... have to dig me up." Alissa said hesitantly.

"The evidence is … buried with her body." Melinda said to Rick.

"Okay … I think it's time we called the police." Rick said as he dug his phone out of his pocket.

* * *

About an hour later, police had swarmed the gravesite, Rick and Melinda stood behind the crime scene tape as the woman's body … or what was left of it was exhumed.

Melinda felt sick to her stomach, she wanted to look away, but she found herself unable to; Rick seemed to notice this and put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, Melinda, you don't have to watch this, let's go." He said, steering her away from the grisly scene as the police placed Alissa's body in a bag and zipped it up.

They were halfway to Melinda's jeep when they heard a voice calling after them, they turned around to see a detective jogging their way.

"Excuse me, Miss Gordon, my name is Detective Devan Akers, I have a few questions for you before I can let you leave …"

"Like how I knew where the body was." Melinda finished for him as she studied him, he was older than her by a good few years but he wore his age well. His hair, which was styled in a typical policeman's haircut was slightly disheveled and his tie was loosened, it was clear he had already had a long day before this, and she felt a pang of sympathy for him.

"I apologize, but this murder's been unsolved and this woman's body's been missing for almost 5 years, so I am sure you will understand my suspicion." The cop replied cynically.

"Hey! Now you hold on just a damn minute …" Rick said angrily as he took a step toward the cop, who's hand went for his cuffs. Melinda's hand on his arm stopped him, he looked at her and she shot him a warning look and shook her head vehemently. The last thing she needed right now was for Rick to get arrested for assaulting a police officer over trying to defend her honor.

"Yes, Detective, I can understand your suspicion, but I was given this information by … by ... someone that wishes to remain anonymous and I felt compelled to come forward to the police with it." She lied easily as she offered him a pleasant smile.

Akers chuckled in spite of himself as he ran his hand through his hair.

"You do know that technically, only the police are allowed to have anonymous sources." He said, his words were scolding, but his tone of voice was playful. Rick's eyes narrowed as his arm tightened possessively around Melinda's shoulders, he didn't like the way Akers' eyes twinkled as he gazed at her.

"I am just going to have to ask you to trust me on this one." She replied, offering him what she hoped was a convincing smile.

The detective grinned at her as he shook his head endearingly, he found himself intrigued and amused by this woman.

"Okay … fair enough, here's my card, if you think of anything else, please don't hesitate to give me a call." He said, ducking his head so his eyes met hers for a look of affirmation before he left them.

"Come on, I say we get while the getting's good." Rick said as he ushered Melinda to her jeep.

"This haste to leave wouldn't have anything to do with that handsome detective flirting with me by any chance, would it?" Melinda said playfully as she slid into the driver's seat.

"You _knew_ he was flirting?" He replied, pausing to look at her as he buckled his seatbelt.

"Sure, a woman almost always knows when a man is flirting with her. It's not like you guys are subtle or anything." Melinda replied, throwing a playful look his way as she started the jeep's engine.

"Damn, and here I thought I was being smooth." Rick replied jokingly.

"Ohhh … no, you are _especially_ oblivious." She replied with a laugh as she put the jeep into drive and pulled out towards the main road.

Rick felt the heat rising to his face, and he hoped the interior of the jeep was dark enough to hide it.

"But don't worry, secretly, I always kind of liked it." she said, her voice dropping an octave or two as she grinned coyly at him.

* * *

The drive back to Grandview took less time than expected and before Rick knew it, they were pulling up in front of his house.

"Well … it's late … I'd better get in and try to get some sleep if I am going to be any good lecturing tomorrow. Rick said, though he hesitated, he was reluctant for this evening to end.

"Yeah … and I have to open the store tomorrow …" Melinda trailed off, their reluctance seemed mutual and as he got out, so did she.

"You came with me on a wild goose chase in the woods with a _ghost_ … the least I can do is walk you to _your_ door." She said as she took him by the arm and they walked.

"Is this _you_ … flirting with _me_?" He asked her teasingly as they walked up his porch stairs.

"No …" she said dryly with a laugh as they paused at his front door and faced each other. She suddenly stepped close to him, leaving no distance between them; she cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his in a short, but passionate kiss.

" _This_ … is me flirting with you." She purred into his ear as she withdrew and gave him one final wave as she walked back down his steps back to her jeep.

Rick's mind screamed to go after, to grab her and kiss her with all the passion he felt for her inside, but his body wouldn't cooperate and remained frozen. It wasn't until she was driving away that he released the breath of air he didn't even realize he was holding.

Part of him hated how he had let her get so far under his skin … but he was too late, she was already under too deep to dig out. He sighed as he watched her taillights fade into the darkness before walking into his house, he peeled off his clothes as he headed towards the bathroom … the kinks in his muscles, and the aching in his bones were screaming for the steam of a nice, hot shower.

* * *

Melinda pulled into her driveway; she turned the engine off and sat there in the silence as her mind wandered back over the events of that night. Her hand touched her mouth as the memory of the kiss floated into her mind.

A split second of panic washed over her, she had just acted without thinking, and she had been too much of a coward to wait around for his reaction. She blew out a haggard sigh as she unlocked her door and walked in, now she would have to wait until their ongoing lunch date tomorrow to know his reaction. Ice cold dread slipped down her spine at the thought of him rejecting her, but at the same time, this feeling intrigued her; could it really be possible that she was falling for the endearingly quirky Professor? She mulled that thought around in her mind as she turned on the hot water and decided on a nice, relaxing bubble bath.

She slipped into the warm water with a satisfied sigh, it was then that she realized that a small part of her had always loved Rick, but of course, her love for Jim had not left room for anything else to grow beyond deep, close friendship. She had always wondered why he had quickly become one of her closest and most cherished friends, and why Jim had always been a little jealous of Rick.

She had to honestly ask herself, was she _ready_ for another relationship? Or was she merely lonely and looking for comfort and companionship? Tears stung her eyes as she came to realize that it was more the latter she was searching for right now, and she just couldn't do that to Rick, it wouldn't be fair.

A frustrated cry escaped her as she angrily slapped the surface of the water, it wasn't _fair_ damn it! She loved Rick … there … she admitted it, if only just to herself, and yet she couldn't be with him because she was still too raw emotionally. Her heart clinched painfully at how much this would hurt him, but it was better than using him.

' _Tomorrow … tomorrow I will tell him._ ' She told herself as she dipped her head under the water one last time before standing up and reaching for a towel.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! Any resemblances to existing stories or characters is unintended.**

 _Notes: I am sorry I haven't updated for a while, I have been at a dog show from oct 11- oct 16 and I have been crazy busy!_

* * *

" … Melinda?"

"Huh?" Melinda asked, her mind snapping back to reality, Rick had been talking, but she had been so distracted that she hadn't even been listening. She felt a pang of guilt, she had spent almost their entire lunch date with her mind off somewhere else.

"Melinda, are you okay?" Rick asked as he put his hand over hers.

"Yes … and no … I need to talk to you, but not here, be at my house tonight about seven?" She said.

"Yeah … sure …" Rick said, the seriousness of her tone had him deeply concerned.

* * *

"Everything okay?" Delia said when Melinda arrived back at the shop after lunch.

Melinda felt the cap on the emotions she had bottled up inside of her pop off and she suddenly burst into tears.

"Melinda! Oh my god, what's wrong!" Delia said as she put her hands on Melinda's shoulders.

Before Melinda could stop herself, everything came pouring out; all her grief after Jim died, her feelings for Rick, and fears that she was leading him on because Jim was as perfect as a man could be, and she was terrified that she would be comparing every man in her life to him, even if she didn't mean to.

"Oh … Melinda!" Delia said as she pulled her into a hug, Melinda couldn't even speak, she was a blubbering mess.

"Melinda, calm down! Everything is going to be fine! What you're feeling is perfectly normal, you have to move on at some point but only you can know when that will be." Delia said.

"But … I feel like I would be leading him on, he's one of my best friends and I don't want to hurt him!" Melinda tearfully replied, she knew she was feeling sorry for herself, but she just couldn't help it.

"What does your _heart_ want, though … because that is what you should listen to, follow your heart … no matter how cliché that sounds." Delia said with a laugh, and Melinda laughed in spite of herself.

"Now, how about I close today, _you_ have to get home; you have date preparations to make!" Delia said.

"You really don't mind? I know I have been doing that to you a lot lately." Melinda replied.

Delia shook her head endearingly and pointed to the door.

"I don't mind at all, now scoot!" she exclaimed.\

* * *

Melinda looked over the meal she had cooked, her apprehension growing; she had never been much of a cook, she was _good_ at it, but she never enjoyed it. Stews, soups, and chili had been dishes she had always been her favorites to make … mostly because they were very easy 'set it and forget it' meals.

She gave herself one last cursory look in the mirror, obsessing over her outfit; she had chosen a strappy black dress with a plunging neckline that came to just below her knees with a pair of gold heels … it was her third outfit change of the night and it would have been her fourth if the doorbell hadn't rang.

Rick presented the bottle of wine in front of him and opened his mouth to tell her about it as she opened the door, but was rendered speechless at the sight before him. Melinda looked _stunning_! Of course she _always_ looked stunning, but tonight she seemed to have pulled out all the stops.

"Oh! I see you brought wine!" She said, snapping him back to reality.

"Yes … yeah … I don't know much about wine, but the connoisseur said it was good, so I bought it." Rick said, clearing his throat as he followed her inside.

"Wow something smells … _great_!" He said.

"It's chili." She said as she took two bowls out of the cabinet and spooned some of the chili into them.

"I am afraid it's not really the right dinner for such a fine wine." She said, gesturing to the bottle he had brought.

"Well, it's more of an after dinner wine, anyway." He said with a grin, and she laughed in spite of herself.

Dinner was fairly quiet, they merely chatted idly about their days, and their jobs, once they were finished, Melinda cleared the table and brought out two wine glasses.

"So … Melinda, you said you wanted to talk about something … in private? Is it related to the supernatural?"

"No … it's about us." Melinda said, her tone serious as they both sat down on the couch.

"Uh … us …?" Rick trailed off.

"Yes … Us. I invited you over here to apologize, when I kissed you the other night, I was getting ahead of myself. I was selfish, I let my loneliness and need for comfort dictate my actions." She said.

"Oh my god … you're actually _ashamed_ about that?! That was the best kiss of my _life_! I mean … you rendered me speechless and that's not an easy thing to do, believe me!" He exclaimed, Melinda stood up and walked away from him, hugging herself.

"I was afraid you'd say that." She replied Rick's expression suddenly grew serious.

"Melinda please, talk to me, tell me why you're withdrawing all of the sudden; I know I can be a jerk sometimes, was it something I did, or said?" He said as he came to stand behind her.

Melinda choked back a sob as she laughed.

"No, no, you've been wonderful, that's the problem. I can't ask you to be part of this crazy thing I call my life, with the ghosts, the visions, the blackouts and all that stuff." She said as she turned to face him.

Rick was speechless for a second time, he couldn't believe what he was hearing; this woman, this … _amazing_ , beautiful, vibrant, sexy woman thought she wasn't good enough for _him_?

"You're wrong. It's _me_ that's not good enough for _you_ , not the other way around. Look … I know I'll never be able to compete with Jim, hell … I don't think there is a man on this earth that would be able to compete with Jim. He was an awesome guy … and yes … this is me admitting someone else other than me is awesome." Rick said dryly with a small smile, Melinda couldn't help but laugh endearingly at him through her tears.

His expression suddenly turned serious as all evidence of mirth left his face. "But … if you give me a chance, I will try to be the best _me_ I can be ... for you." He said.

She looked longingly into his eyes, she wanted to say yes so badly, her very soul ached for it, but still, she hesitated; she wondered if he had really thought this through about what a relationship with her would entail.

Passion suddenly flashed in Rick's eyes as he stepped close to her, leaving no distance between them.

"W … what are you doing?" she asked, taken aback by his bold gesture.

"What I should have done the other night on my front porch." He said as he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.

With that one act, Rick felt the feelings that he had buried deep in his soul for so long erupt into an inferno. He didn't hold back this time, he wanted _her_ to feel what _he_ felt for her inside, all those feelings that he could never in a lifetime even begin to express verbally.

They suddenly broke apart and stood, breathless and staring at one another.

"I just … I wanted you to _feel_ what I feel … inside … all those things I can't verbalize." He said breathlessly, his heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst right through his chest.

Melinda didn't reply, she just stood, still as a statue, staring at him with an undiscernible expression on her face.

"I'm sorry … Oh god … clearly I moved too fast … I'm …" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, because Melinda suddenly grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him into another kiss, even more passionate than the last.

Melinda slid her hands under Rick's jacket and slid it off his shoulders; Rick suddenly realized the logical conclusion of this evening if things continued going as they were and he broke off the kiss.

"Melinda, you said you wanted to take things slowly, are you sure this is what you really want?" He asked, Melinda opened her mouth to reply when they heard a knock at the door.

They both shared a withering look as Melinda went to answer it.

"Detective Akers!" She said in mild surprise.

"Miss Gordon, may I come in?" He asked.

"Yes, of course." Melinda said as she moved back and motioned for him to enter.

"I'm … sorry to interrupt your evening, but I wanted to tell you that we were able to recover DNA from Alissa's body and we've caught the real killer, just in time, too because I think he had another woman in his sights." Akers said as Alissa appeared next to him.

"Tell him thank you for everything he's done, I've been watching him since they found my body, he's worked so hard." Alissa said.

"Alissa is here, she says thank you for all you did, that she's been watching you working so hard to find who killed her." Melinda said.

Akers stepped back, a cautious, disbelieving look on his face.

"What do you mean? Alissa is dead." He said, the skepticism was evident in his voice and in his expression.

"Dead doesn't mean gone, Detective Akers, Alissa _is_ here, she's standing right beside you." Melinda said as she nodded to his left.

"But that's … that's … _impossible_ … that's …" His words died in his throat as Alissa put a hand on his shoulder; Akers looked at his shoulder, then to Melinda in shock, she nodded to him with tears in her eyes.

"Tell him that I know he thinks his work doesn't make a difference, since most of the time, the person is already dead, but it does." Alissa said.

"She says that she knows you think you don't make a difference, but you do." Melinda repeated.

Tears welled up in the Detective's eyes. "I just … so many times I get there too late, you know?" he said.

"You _do_ make a difference, to the families and loved ones of the people who were murdered." Melinda said.

Suddenly, she saw Alissa's face light up. "What is that … it's so … beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"She sees the light." Melinda told Rick and the detective.

"I see my grandparents, they're waving at me … they're so happy to see me." Alissa said with tears in her eyes.

"But I can't go yet, there's one more thing I have to do. I want to tell Moriss thank you for all he did for me when I was alive … I don't think I ever told him." She said.

"She wants to tell Moriss Gesner goodbye before she can go." Melinda told Rick and Akers.

"Tell him sorry, on behalf of the entire police department." Detective Akers said as he showed himself out.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Rick asked.

"No, this is something I have to do alone." Melinda replied.

* * *

Melinda knocked on Morris Gesner's door for a second time. "Maybe he's not home."

"He's hard of hearing, so you have to knock really loud, especially if he's watching TV." Alissa replied.

Sure enough, on the third knock, he answered.

"Moriss Gesner?" Melinda said, he nodded.

"Mr. Gesner, my name is Melinda Gordon, I … I am here on Alissa's behalf, may I come in?" She asked, he wordlessly moved back and motioned for her to enter.

"Mr. Gesner, I have something to tell you, and it's going to be hard to believe, so I am just going to come out and say it … Alissa's here with is now." Melinda said as Alissa appeared next to him.

"I'm sorry … I know I'm a little hard of hearing, but I thought you said that she is here … with us now." Moriss said as he gave her that judging, disbelieving look Melinda had grown all too accustomed to seeing.

"Tell him thank you, for being like a second father to me when I first moved here, when I had no friends or family close." Alissa said.

"She says she wants to thank you for being like a second father to her when she had no one." Melinda said.

Tears spilled down Moriss' weathered cheeks. "She was so young, and alone, I remember when she moved in here like it was yesterday, so I took it upon myself to watch over her … hell of a job I did, huh?" He laughed humorlessly as he wiped his eyes with his handkerchief.

"No! tell him that it was _my_ fault! I was the one who didn't listen when he tried to tell me he was bad news." Alissa said as she began to cry with him.

"She says that she was the one who didn't listen when you tried to warn her about him."

"If I had listened to him, I'd still be alive, that's _my_ fault, not his! I don't want him carrying that guilt around anymore!" Alissa said.

"She wants you to know that … if she had listened to you she would still be alive, that it was her fault, and that she wants to you to let go if that guilt you've been carrying around for all these years." Melinda said through the tears she was now shedding as well.

Moriss suddenly burst into tears.

"You were like a daughter to me! When I found out what that bastard did to you, I wanted to kill him myself! I tried to tell the police, but they couldn't get any evidence against him and when he pointed the finger at me, the police wouldn't listen to anything I had to say after that." He sobbed.

Alissa suddenly looked beyond them and her face lit up again.

"Tell him none of that matters anymore where I'm going." She said as she started to walk toward the light, as she passed Moriss, she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, Moriss put his hand to his cheek and looked at Melinda in shock, and she smiled through her tears at him.

"Alissa's ready to cross over." She said.

"So she'll be at peace?" Moriss asked Melinda.

"Oh yeah, in the light, everyone finds peace." Melinda assured him.

Alissa suddenly stopped and looked back at Melinda. "There's a man here; tall, dark hair and _very_ handsome, says his name's Jim. He wants me to tell you that he loves you very much, and that you should listen to your heart, and that you have his blessing. He says you would know what he was talking about." Alissa said.

Melinda laughed tearfully; she knew he was telling her that he was okay with her moving on. "Tell him that I will always love him, too and that I promise, I will." She replied, Alissa nodded as her image faded away.

"She's crossed over." Melinda said as she wiped her tears from her cheeks.

Moriss stepped forward and embraced her warmly.

"Thank you, for doing what you do." He said as he released her and walked her to the door.

* * *

"Everything okay?" Rick asked, standing up from the couch as Melinda came through the door looking positively exhausted.

"Yes, everything's okay, Alissa crossed over." She said as she plopped down heavily on the couch.

"Are you sure? Because you look like you've been crying." Rick said as he sat next to her.

"It's always emotional for me, because I feel everything the spirit is feeling." She said.

"Did I ever tell you that what you do ... it never ceases to be just ... amazing to me."

Melinda smiled at him. "No, I don't think you ever told me that." She said.

"The wine's still chilling." He said with a raised eyebrow, an air of playful suggestion in his voice.

"Actually, I'm … kind of tired." She said as she smirked sheepishly at him.

"Is this you politely telling me to get out?" He replied humorously, though deep in his eyes, she could see the disappointment he was trying to hide.

"For tonight, yes, I'm afraid so." She said, her voice dropping to a purr as she leaned in and kissed him.

Rick could feel the animal that was his desire clawing at his insides, demanding that he give in as he reluctantly tore himself away from her.

"Okay … call me a dog if you want, but if you don't let me walk out that door _right now_ … I won't be walking out until the next morning." He said with an embarrassed laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Okay, Professor, fair enough." Melinda said with a laugh as she walked him to the door. Then, right at the last minute, she grabbed his jacket and pulled him into one last brief, but passionate kiss.

"See you at lunch tomorrow." She purred into his ear as she winked at him and shut the door, leaving him standing on the porch, trying to regain his bearings.

"Why, woman! Why must you _torture_ me so!" He declared dramatically to her front door as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Because, it's more _fun_ that way." She said to herself as she headed upstairs to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING! Any resemblance to existing stories or characters is unintended.**

 _Notes: Okay ... I won't lie, I struggled a bit with this chapter (for too many reasons to explain here), and I still don't really like it. But I felt like it was as good as it was going to get, and I was only just going to keep going back and obsessing and tweaking, so ... here it is._

* * *

"Well, hey there you! I _said_ I'd open for you this morning." Delia said as she walked in to find Melinda readying the store.

"It's okay … sometimes I like to … you know … get here early, something about being alone with all this old stuff… it's strangely therapeutic." Melinda replied with a laugh.

Delia leaned against the counter, waiting with an expectant look on her face.

"What?" Melinda finally asked her.

"Oh come on, don't be coy with me … you know what." Delia said with a raised eyebrow.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Melinda said, a smile playing about her mouth as she looked at her watch and went around to unlock the door.

Delia blew out an exasperated sigh. "Your dinner date with a certain quirky professor… so, dish! I want to know how it went, and don't leave anything out!" Delia said.

"Well … he came over, we had a very nice dinner, some wine, and then he went home, end of story." Melinda said ambiguously.

"We didn't sleep together, if that is what you are getting at." Melinda said when Delia continued to look at her as though she expected there to be more to the story.

"What? Why not?" Delia asked.

"We just … didn't think that it was the right time." Melinda replied.

" _We_ didn't, or _you_ didn't?" Delia countered.

"It was a mutual decision, mostly because I was totally wiped after crossing over the ghost of that murder victim." Melinda said.

"Such a terrible thing, I am glad they caught the son of a bitch." Delia remarked.

"Well, they never found her body, and the evidence the police needed to put him away was buried with her." Melinda said.

"What was it?" Delia asked in an excited, hushed whisper.

"It was a piece of the jacket he wore; it was a very expensive kind of leather that was only sold in a few specialty shops overseas." Melinda explained.

"Amazing! Thank god there isn't a statute of limitations on murder. " Delia said.

"Anyway, I am always wiped after I cross a spirit over, because I feel everything they are feeling, and usually the only thing I want to do is take a nice hot bath and go to sleep afterwards." Melinda said with a laugh.

"Did that ever stop you with Jim?" Delia asked abruptly.

A very pregnant pause fell between them.

"This is different." Melinda replied softly.

"Is it? Or is it just different in your mind?" Delia said, wording her sentence more as a statement than a question, Melinda fell silent, she didn't have an answer for her. Delia put a comforting hand on Melinda's shoulder.

"Look, I'm sorry … I know this is none of my business, but I just don't want to see you miss out on something good because you are afraid, life is fleeting, you of all people should know that, you deal with death every day." Delia said.

Melinda stared at the floor in front of her, what could she say? Delia was right; life was fleeting, in a moment it could be over. She remembered thinking when she and Jim first were married how young they were and how many years they had to spend together … and how that was taken from her that one terrible night.

' _No more waiting, no more being afraid and putting things off.'_ She thought to herself. But saying it and actually making it happen were two very different things

* * *

Melinda felt her stomach summer salt as she walked up the steps of Rockland University. She and Rick had been seeing each other for about three weeks now and she could still feel the butterflies of nervousness take flight in her stomach whenever she planned to see him.

She was still deep in thought when she turned the corner from the elevators and nearly ran right into Professor Hockmeier.

"Oh … Professor Hockmeier, I'm sorry … I wasn't looking where I was going and …"

"Melinda Gordon, right? You own that cute antique shop downtown." She said, the politeness of her words didn't reach her tone of voice.

"Yes, that's right." Melinda replied in an effort to be pleasant.

"Rick is a good man, he's been through alot and he deserves to be treated right." Hockmeier said suddenly, there was an air of challenge in her voice.

" _Excuse_ me?" Melinda replied, unable to keep the sharpness out of her voice entirely. Hockmeier, as if sensing the rebuttal to her challenge, stepped a little closer to Melinda.

"You'd better treat him right, you'd better do right by him … because if you don't, someone else _will_." Hockmeier said as she brushed past Melinda and off towards the elevators.

Melinda stood there, staring at the space in front of her that Professor Hockmeier had occupied. Her knee jerk reaction was to take offense, but she realized that she was right. Rick _was_ a good man … and he did deserve someone who would treat him right, he didn't need someone with issues, someone who was haunted … someone like her.

Melinda suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped and spun around.

"I'm sorry … I didn't mean to scare you … you ready?" Rick asked as he grinned at her.

"Yeah … sure." She said as she plastered what she hoped was a convincing smile on her face.

* * *

"Hey, you've been awfully quiet ever since we left the University, everything ok?" Rick asked, Melinda blew out a breath and looked down at the plate of food in front of her that she hadn't touched, unsure of how to bring this up.

"On the way to your office, I ran into Professor Hockmeier. She said that you were a good man who's been through alot, and that you deserve someone good …"

"Whatever she told you, she was wrong, I have someone good, Melinda, I have you …" Rick started but Melinda put up her hand to stop him as she continued.

"No, she's right, you deserve someone _normal_ not someone whose ghosts, and hauntings will invade your life. I've seen how it's hurt you, even almost _killed_ you, and that was just as my _friend_. In a relationship it will be even worse and I can't help but think, if it's really fair of me to do that to you." Melinda said as tears made their way down her cheeks.

"Mel, no … I don't give a damn _what_ Ramona told you, because it's a load of crap! Look … come on ... you know me better than that. Would I do something or be with someone if I didn't want to?" Rick asked her with a raised eyebrow, and she laughed in spite of herself.

"Definitely not." She replied, Rick suddenly leaned forward across the table and took her hands in his.

"Like I said, it's _you_ who could do better, not me. Did I ever tell you how you made me feel when I first met you? The first time you looked at me … it was like … I am not sure how I can explain it … but … it was like … for the first time in my life I was really being _seen_. Not looked at, but actually _seen …_ straight down to my soul, and I still get that feeling every time our eyes meet. Oh god! That sounds horribly cliché, doesn't it?" Rick said as he averted his gaze embarrassingly.

"No … maybe it's a _little_ cliché, but still, it's very sweet, I'm really starting to like this side of you." She said as she leaned across the table towards him.

"Well, now you know my secret, that I'm actually a big softy once you get to know me." He replied as he got lost in her eyes … those haunting eyes that seemed to be able to see right through him, all the way to his very soul.

"Oh … it was never a secret, not to me anyway. I always knew it was in there somewhere, no matter how hard you tried to hide it." Melinda replied with a grin.

"I _was_ good at hiding it … until I met you." He replied.

"You're right, that is cliché." Melinda said with a laugh as the server came with their check, and they both grabbed for it.

"Hey … it's my turn to pay, remember?" Melinda said as she set her card down on top of the check for the server.

When she turned back to Rick, she found his expression very serious.

"Melinda, look … you know how I feel about you, I … think you've known for a long time, even when Jim was alive."

"It's why you left …" Melinda interjected.

"I wanted to leave sooner but I just …. I couldn't bring myself to, not with everything that was going on with you and those kids and the five signs. Then I stayed because … hell I don't even know why. It hurt so much to see you so happy with Jim." He said.

"… Not that I wanted things to happen like they did or anything." He added quickly as fire suddenly erupted in Melinda's dark eyes.

"Anyway, none of that matters now, you know where I stand, the question is where do _you_ stand."

"W … what do you mean?" She asked, not meeting his eyes.

"I mean that you say you're all in, but you're still closed off emotionally, whether you know it or not, what I think you need is more time." He said.

"Rick no … don't do this, _please_ don't pull away from me!" Melinda said as she felt her heart breaking all over again.

"I'm not the one who's pulling away, Mel. Look … this isn't me saying goodbye, this is me giving you some space, because that's what I think you need right now, whether you know it or not." He said as he stood.

As he walked past her to leave, he paused and put a hand on her shoulder. "I mean it Mel, whenever you're ready, I'll be here, I'm not going anywhere, not this time." He said

* * *

"Melinda? What's wrong, you've been awfully quiet since you came back from lunch, did something happen between you and Rick?" Delia asked.

Melinda burst into tears and told Delia everything.

"Oh, Melinda, I'm so sorry! But, maybe he's right ... that you need more time." Delia said.

"I've been so unfair to him, I tried so hard not to lead him on, I really did … but my wants and desires took control and I ended up doing exactly that." Melinda said through her sobs as she hid her face in her hands.

"Melinda, you're _human_ , you had just suddenly lost a loved one, you were hurt and lonely! Give yourself a break! Tell you what, I'll close up tonight, I think you need to go home and get a good night's sleep, it looks like you haven't had one since Jim died." Delia said as she pushed her towards the door.

For once, Melinda didn't argue with her, she had been so tired that she didn't even remember much about the drive home; and sure enough, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

* * *

She suddenly felt herself walking through a green meadow, the knee high grass tickled the backs of her calves as she walked. A single tree at the top of a small hill suddenly came into view, under it, a blanket was spread out and a picnic basket sat atop it.

Tears welled up in Melinda's eyes as Jim walked out from behind the tree.

"Oh … Jim!" she sobbed as she ran to him and he embraced her.

"Mel." He whispered in her ear, just like he used to.

"Mel, I don't have long, look, you need to move on. You need to find happiness, I have, I'm okay; you were right, in the light … it's amazing, there's no pain, no suffering, everyone's whole and happy. Now I want the same for you." He said as he pulled back to look at her.

"But how can I when it hurts so bad!" Melinda sobbed.

"You have to stop looking for what you and I had, because let's face it, what we had, it was special because it was _us_. But that doesn't mean you will never be happy again, and have something special with someone else." Jim replied with a knowing smile.

Melinda laughed through her tears as she shook her head at him. "You mean Rick."

Jim merely raised his eyebrow at her.

"I don't have to tell you, Mel, I think you know the answer, all you have to do is listen to your heart, you did the right thing by me, you took care of me, even in death … now it's time for _you_ to be happy … and I don't want you to feel guilty about it." He said, shaking his finger at her, playfully scolding her.

Melinda hugged him one last time.

"I know it will be new and scary as hell at first … maybe more for him than you … but that's part of the fun, isn't it? Hey and look at it this way, at least he knows about what you can do, so you already have that base covered." He said as he looked at his watch.

"I have to go … remember … be _happy_." He said.

Melinda's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright in bed, her room was dark she looked at her bedside clock, it was after midnight. She looked down at herself and realized she had fallen asleep still in her clothes.

She had a sudden urge to go and see Rick, she couldn't explain it, but it was too powerful to ignore and before she knew what she was doing, she was putting on her coat and grabbing her car keys. She opened the front door and stopped in shock, there stood Rick, he met her eyes with a confused, indiscernible expression on his face.

"I'm sorry I … was asleep, I had this weird dream, I don't really remember it … but when I woke up, I had this … urge to come here and before I knew what I was doing, I was driving to your house." He said.

"I was just on my way to _your_ house." Melinda replied as they stared at each other for a beat.

"I'm sorry … what?" He asked after a moment.

"I was … I had a weird dream too and when I woke up, it was like something was pulling me there." She said.

"What … what does this _mean_?" He said.

"I think I know what it means." She said as she slowly drew closer to him.

"Melinda … are you sure about this? Because once we take this step… it can't … it can't be undone." Rick said as he struggled to keep a handle on his composure, but the way she was looking at him, with her eyes so full of desire and yearning was making that very difficult.

"I haven't been this sure of anything in a long time." She said decisively as she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door.


End file.
